A cyclist on Westminster bridge, one of a record number of people using bikes in London. Photograph: J Bewley/Sustrans

Record numbers of cyclists are pedalling their way around the capital, according to Transport for London (TfL), which said cycling levels were 10% higher in the three months to December than in the same quarter in 2013, and were the highest since records began in 2000. By the end of 2014/15, TfL forecasts a 12% rise from the previous financial year.

Last year was also a record for the number of hires from London’s cycle hire scheme, with more than 10m journeys made – up 5% on 2012 (the previous highest year) and 25% on 2013.

The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “Last week I announced my final intentions for the new east-west and north-south superhighways. These amazing numbers show how cyclists are becoming ubiquitous in London and prove, if further proof were needed, why we need to crack on with catering for them. Barclays Cycle Hire continues to grow in popularity and there can be no doubt that our trusty bicycles have changed the way people get around our great city.”

On 25 December almost 40,000 cycle hire journeys were made in the capital, beating the previous year’s Christmas Day record by 41%.

There are now more than 10,000 bikes available from over 700 docking stations, up from 6,600 bikes and 400 docking stations when the cycle hire scheme launched in July 2010.